Not that Von Miller didn’t rightfully earn all the praise he received as a rookie, but Sunday against the Patriots, the second-year outside linebacker produced the type of all-around performance the Broncos were hoping for when they selected him with the second pick in the 2011 draft.

Miller had two sacks and five tackles for a loss in Denver’s 31-21 loss to New England. Miller finished with eight total tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass, even while being spelled for short stretches by Nate Irving in order to keep Miller’s legs fresh.

“He answered the bell. We knew it was going to be tough duty, trotting in there against a good football team at home,” Broncos coach John Fox said.

Miller, with five sacks through five games, is tied for eighth place in the NFL.

Royal rival. For the second straight week, the Broncos will face a former teammate at wide receiver. Brandon Lloyd had three catches for the Patriots last week, and now the Broncos are preparing for slot receiver Eddie Royal, a former Denver second-round draft pick who signed with the Chargers as a free agent in March.

Royal also is San Diego’s punt returner, a job he also held in Denver for four years.

It doesn’t appear the Broncos miss Royal much on offense, but when Royal picked the Chargers, he left a void on special teams.

Royal averaged more than 10 yards per punt return over those four seasons, with two touchdowns. Current Denver punt returner Jim Leonhard is averaging only 6.8 yards per return, and has five fair catches.

“Like any area of our football team, we’re looking for improvement every week. It’s no different there than a lot of areas of our team,” Fox said.

Williams update. A Denver judge delayed the sentencing hearing for linebacker D.J. Williams until Oct. 24. Williams was convicted in August of driving while ability impaired.

Williams, who had a prior DWAI conviction, will be required to serve a minimum of 10 days in jail and two years probation, though he likely will be eligible for in-home detention or work release.

Williams is in the midst of a suspension that last week was increased to nine games — the first six games for a violation of the banned substance policy, and three additional games for the DWAI conviction.

Williams is not allowed to return to the team until Nov. 12.

Carter apologizes for tweet. Broncos cornerback Tony Carter learned a lesson in sensitivity Monday night when he sent a tweet that many Broncos fans found offensive.

Carter wrote that he was, “At a late night movie in Denver, y’all pray for me” — a reference to the mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater in July when 12 people were killed.

Carter removed the message and Tuesday morning issued an apology through his Twitter account.

Footnote. The Broncos made a change to the practice squad, releasing wide receiver Bert Reed and signing safety Blake Gideon.

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